Insect-baffler.



No. 672,958. Paumd Apr. 3o, Ism. v J. nELLlaoTT.

INSECT BAFFLER.

(Am-ximian :ma Aug. 24, moo.)

(lo Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IAMFIS MCELLIGOTT, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

lNSECT-BAFFLER.

SPECIFICATIGN formingpart of Letters Patent No. 672.9'58, dated April 30, 1901.

l Application filed August 24:, 1900. Serial No. 27,939. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom t may concern.:

Beit known that I, J AMES MCELLIGOTT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Insect-Bafiiers; and I do'hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to provide a simple and efficient device for preventing insects and vermin from crawling from the ioor or ground onto beds, tables, chests, and other places; and to this end it consists of the novel devices and combinations Yof devices hereinafter described, and deined in the claims. For the sake of a name I term this device an insect-baffler.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanyin g drawings, wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Figure l shows a portion of the leg of a bed with one of my improved devices applied in working position thereto, the said device being shown in section. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device removed from working position, some parts being broken away; and Fig. 3 is a transverse section illustrating a Vmodified construction of the device.

The numeral l indicates a portion of the leg of a bed, which is provided with an ordinary caster 2.

The body of the bafier or device is in the form of a thin met-al cylinder d, the lower end of which is turned inward and upward,

.as shown at c', to form an annular cup or liquid-containing receptacle a2. The upper end of the' cylinder'a is turned inward and downward, as shown at c3, and is closed by a plate or disk portion c4, having a central perforation a5. Cylinder a is formed with an internal Iiange 0,5, having a depending annular section a7, extending inward of but concentric with the said cylinder a.

b indicates a pliable ring or annular strip of soft rubber, felt, or other suitable material, which forms a loose joint with the interior of the cylinder a. The strip b coperates with iianges a6 and 0,7 and the adjacent portion of the cylinder a to form an annular catch-chamber c.

a8 indicates a neck or nipple which opens th rough the cylinder c, below the pliable strip b. Normally this neck a8 is closed by a removable cap f, which when removed permits a liquid e' to be poured into the annular cup or receptacle a2. This liquid .e may be water, or it may be a disinfecting liquid.

When the device is applied as shown in Fig. l, it is held in place with its lowerA portion above the floor by the caster 2, the stem of which is passed through the perforation' 0,5 of the disk-section a4.

With the device applied as shown an insect may crawl up the caster and around over the inner surfaces of the disk a4, flange as, cylinder a, and flanges a6 and a7 until it reaches the pliable strip b. It will then either drop into the liquid z and be drowned or killed by the action of the liquid, or it may pass upward between the said strip b and the cylinder a Vinto the annular catch-chamber c. Once into the catch-chamber c it can never get out, as the pliable strip b will yield only to an upward pressure. Hence it will be seen that it will be impossible for the insect to reach the leg 1.

The construction illustrated in Fig. 2 is much the same as that indicated in Figs. 1 and 3, except that lthe upper portion of the device is dispensed with and the Iiat top portion 45* is directly connected to the cylinder a just above the internal flange 0.6. The plate 4a is also provided with a central perforation 5a, corresponding to the perforation a5 of the device above illustrated. This device may be applied in the same manner as is the device illustrated in Fig. yl; but it has the advantage that it may be applied to a device such as an ice chest or box, which while it has rollers has no legs, or, if it has legs, such as are very large.

The purposes which this device will serve are many. It will prevent bedbugs from crawling from the door onto the bed and will prevent ants from crawling onto tables, into ice-chests, and other places.

It will also be understood that the device is capable of considerable modication within the scope of my invention.

In case the device to which my improved insect bafder or trap is to be applied has not casters, pins or stub-legs may be used in their IOO stead. It will also be understood that the body of the baiier or trap may take various other forms than the cylindrical or annular form illustrated and may, for instance, be square, triangular, or segmental in form.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows:

1. An insect baiiieror trap having an endless catch-chainber and a flexible endless strip closing the entrance thereto for permitting ingress, and preventing egress of the insects, substantially as described.

2. An insect bafer or trap, comprising the body a, with inwardly and upvyardly turned end a forming the endless chamber CL2, the I5 endless internal ange a6 with depending iiange-section a7, and the endless pliable strip b, located between the lower portion of said flange a7 and the inner surface of said body a, said parts operating, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JAMES MCELLIGOTT.

Witnesses:

HARRY KILGORE, F. D. MERCHANT. 

